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The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has temporarily arrested the measures to close a tariff exemption in low -cost shipments from China, while officials discover how to tax the millions of packages that reach the US. UU. All days.
In an amendment to an executive order signed on Wednesday and published on Friday, the White House said that the so -called minimis disposition, which exempts shipments below $ 800 in value of rates and rigorous customs controls, would remain in place until the “appropriate systems are” instead to process and collect full tariff income and issued. “
Minimis’s disposition was designed to help homes and small businesses buy low -cost items abroad without making them subject to expensive customs controls. In recent years, it has proven to be a blessing for electronic commerce platforms that are sent directly to consumers, such as Shein and Temu de China.
Last week, Trump canceled the exemption in an executive order that announced an additional 10 percent rate on China’s goods, which the White House said it aimed to punish Beijing for allowing the flow of mortal opioid fentanyl in the states in the states Joined.
But if the analysts warned that the decision, which entered into force only a few days later, would force customs officials to apply the most complicated formal entry process to each package that arrives from China.
According to experts, they would also make the plots previously qualify for the minimis subject not only to the additional rate of 10 percent but also to existing commercial taxes.
The United States postal service suspended on Tuesday the reception of China packages, including Hong Kong, when tariffs entered into force, before going back a day later to accept shipments.
USPS said he was working with Customs officials to establish an “efficient collection mechanism”, since the rapid implementation of the directive increased workloads for customs officials and agitation fueled for exporters and cargo carriers .
American officials have long had the minimis rules in the sight. The national retailers who buy items abroad in bulk have complained that the exemption gave Chinese electronic commerce groups an advantage of unfair cost.
The administration of former president of the United States, Joe Biden, had proposed measures to harden the rules with respect to the Minimis regime.
Customs and border protection of the United States estimates that it processes more than 4 mn low -value shipments daily. A report by the Select Committee from Congress in 2023 estimated that about 30 percent of these packages came from Temu and Shein.
The measure to repeal the exemption of Minimis hit Chinese electronic commerce sellers this week, who said some logistics groups were charging retention rates to cover the levies and other customs costs.
A report by Nomura analysts, the Japanese investment bank, estimated that China sent packages worth $ 46 billion to the US. UU. According to the minimis rules in 2024, and that discarding exemptions could eliminate 0.2 percentage points of Chinese economic growth in 2025.
Trump is expected to make a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the next few days to avoid a escalation in commercial tensions, with Chinese retaliation rates in the United States to enter into force on Monday. But the president of the United States said Tuesday that he was not “without hurry” to talk to his Chinese counterpart.
